Condensation / Damp - What to do

Sledgehead

tadgh_99 wrote: »

Sledgehead,
The fan itself records whether it is switched on or not and whether it is kicking in at the pre-set against humidity levels. This is manufacturers feature that is designed for fault identification with the fan.

The fan is being monitored, not the tenants.

If, however, after the tenancy, I find mold or the such like and call the manufacturer to download the diagnostics but they show the fan is working correctly but the fan has been switched off which has made the room prone to mold etc, then I would be completely within my rights to ask the tenant to make or pay for repairs..

And yet, by your own admission, you don't know whether the air is making the wall damp, or whether there is penetration.

Talk about a culture of entitlement.

tadgh_99

Sledgehead,

And yet, by your own admission, you don't know whether the air is making the wall damp, or whether there is penetration.

That’s right, which is why I’ve asked the advice of several damp proofing / condensation control people. To resolve the issue before renting the property out.

This makes your points about who becomes liable further down the line extraneous.

Talk about a culture of entitlement.

At no point have I advocated a culture of entitlement.

If someone damages my property through negligence, I am quite entitled to seek reparation for that. As I'm sure you would.

Your posts (apart from the first one) have only outlined situations about who pays for what and when and I’ve already said that’s for another thread

The topic of this thread is “what is the best way to get the resolve a condensation / damp problem”. As your comments aren’t that constructive and are off moving further off topic, to say the least, I would appreciate it if you would “troll on” elsewhere.

Thanks

Oh, by the way, regarding the monitoring of the fan....you might want to read up on Invasion of Privacy laws in the UK here...

http://www.findlaw.co.uk/law/government/constitutional_law/fundamental_rights/500284.html

hells_bells

tadgh_99 wrote: »

Hi,



As this is going to be a rental property I was going to go for the heat exchange fan / salt neutralizer / anti-mould paint option and hope it doesn’t come back.


Confused...

Any thoughts anyone?

What does renting it out have anything to do with it? Typical landlord, do a cover up job and then expect your tenants to live in damp.

tadgh_99

hells_bells wrote: »

What does renting it out have anything to do with it? Typical landlord, do a cover up job and then expect your tenants to live in damp.

You missed off an important part which followed directly after..

But the more I think about it I think the re-rendering option may prove to be the best economy. I may spend all this time & money doing a short fix, but there's no guarantee it wouldn't come back.

As in, I wouldn't expect my tenants to live in damp. I would fix it. I originally thought that the anti mold paint might fix it. But from the advice I have, the problem is more than just condensation. Hence my reasoning for going for the full membrane & re-render.

Thanks for the "Typical Landlord" comment. I'm sure the tenants in my other properties (who I make sure have an easy life) will enjoy that one..:rotfl:

We aren't all scumbags you know..

fannyadams

how about finding where the damp is coming from and sorting that out?
the 'two prong damp detector' is a method by which the 'damp proof course' fixer johnnies SELL you the idea that you NEED their expensive fixings.
read this
http://www.askjeff.co.uk/rising-damp/
to see what I mean.
"In my experience, there’s no such thing as a reputable ‘contractor’. Almost all damp-proofing/timber treatment contractors make their money by offering free surveys and then saying you need work done. The unreliability of their diagnoses is underlined by the fact that, as in your case, different ‘specialist’ firms usually come up with different proposals."

tadgh_99

Thanks fannyadams,

I had heard that these two prong damp detectors were about as much use as a chocolate teapot. Specialist 5 turned up today but with thermal imagining equipment (no two prong detectors anywhere in sight). and we could see where the damp / cold patches on the wall were. I was quite impressed.

He also had good reviews on check-a-trade (not ratedpeople.com)

He also stated that in his opinion it was a case of condensation brought about by penetrating damp and completely dismissed rising damp.

So I'm tending to go with what he says (His webpage also has a wealth of accreditations).